Mindful Mark-Making: Mandalas
11/8/202611:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST
Location: Art Place Studios, 2015 Asheville Hwy, Hendersonville, NC 28791
Event Description
Instructor: Kara Ashley-Gilmore
Date: 11/8/2026
Time: 11 am - 12:30 pm
Members: $30 Non-Members: $35
Join us for a relaxing session of mindful art-making. We blend the 7 essential principles of mindfulness with intuitive art practices, using drawing and watercolors as tools for relaxation. You’ll be guided through a series of creative mark-making exercises and grounding techniques, culminating in an extended, meditative painting session.
During this month’s session, we will use watercolor paints and mark-making tools to create a mandala drawing in the style of your choosing. Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle. It is used in Eastern traditions as a tool of meditation. Mandalas include shapes and symbols that you create intuitively. Many mandalas have a repeated pattern of shapes that make a cohesive design, others do not and are abstract.
What’s Included in Your Session:
-Opening Guided Meditation & Focused Grounding Exercises.
-The "Principles of Mindfulness for Art-Making" Takeaway Guide.
-Hands-on instruction for line work and meditative mark-making.
-An extended period of self-directed, meditative painting and creation.
-A closing sharing circle for connection and reflection.
Absolutely no art experience is required! All supplies—including rich watercolor paints, drawing pens, and acrylic markers—are provided for your use. Just bring your willingness to play, and your desire to connect and share!
Artist Bio:
Kara Ashley-Gilmore believes in the use of our innate creativity for our wellness and healing. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and owner of Mountain Creative Arts Counseling; a mixed-media artist at the Art Place Studios, in Hendersonville; and Board Member of the Arts Council of Henderson County. Ultimately, all of her work is about helping people be more creative, use their creativity for personal growth, and incorporate creativity into their daily lives. Her art therapy workshops are tailored to those who appreciate opportunities for creative exploration–with gentle guidance–in a non-judgemental, quiet atmosphere.
Date: 11/8/2026
Time: 11 am - 12:30 pm
Members: $30 Non-Members: $35
Join us for a relaxing session of mindful art-making. We blend the 7 essential principles of mindfulness with intuitive art practices, using drawing and watercolors as tools for relaxation. You’ll be guided through a series of creative mark-making exercises and grounding techniques, culminating in an extended, meditative painting session.
During this month’s session, we will use watercolor paints and mark-making tools to create a mandala drawing in the style of your choosing. Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle. It is used in Eastern traditions as a tool of meditation. Mandalas include shapes and symbols that you create intuitively. Many mandalas have a repeated pattern of shapes that make a cohesive design, others do not and are abstract.
What’s Included in Your Session:
-Opening Guided Meditation & Focused Grounding Exercises.
-The "Principles of Mindfulness for Art-Making" Takeaway Guide.
-Hands-on instruction for line work and meditative mark-making.
-An extended period of self-directed, meditative painting and creation.
-A closing sharing circle for connection and reflection.
Absolutely no art experience is required! All supplies—including rich watercolor paints, drawing pens, and acrylic markers—are provided for your use. Just bring your willingness to play, and your desire to connect and share!
Artist Bio:
Kara Ashley-Gilmore believes in the use of our innate creativity for our wellness and healing. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and owner of Mountain Creative Arts Counseling; a mixed-media artist at the Art Place Studios, in Hendersonville; and Board Member of the Arts Council of Henderson County. Ultimately, all of her work is about helping people be more creative, use their creativity for personal growth, and incorporate creativity into their daily lives. Her art therapy workshops are tailored to those who appreciate opportunities for creative exploration–with gentle guidance–in a non-judgemental, quiet atmosphere.